Air-lifting device



W. N. ROWE.

AIR LIFTING DEVI-CE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1920.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

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AIR LIFTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1920.

W. N. ROWE.

AIR LIFTlNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1920.

1,392,451, Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

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the tracks sufiiciently to rails to be slipped un desirable.

WILLIAM N. ROWE, 0F HIIBIBING, MINNESOTA.

AIR-LIFTIN G DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

Application filed November 10, 1920. Serial No. 423,145.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. ROWE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hibbing, in the county of St. Louls and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-InftingDevices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved method of lifting vehiclesin order that they may clear tracks or other constructions. It isparticularly adapted for use in connection with work vehicles used inconnection with railroads. Work vehicles of this character are oftenprovided with air receivers for use in connection with pneumatic toolsand in some cases a gasolene driven air compressor is also mounted onthe car. These cars in their use are run from place to place upon thestandard gage railroad tracks, in some cases being driven by thegasolene engine. Upon arrival at the place Where they are to be used, itis necessary that they be removed from the tracks for the purpose ofpermitting the tracks to be cleared for regular trafiic.

Work cars of this character provided with engines and air containers orheavy machinery are exceedingly heavy and are difficult for a smallnumber of men to handle. It is ordinarily necessary to raise them fromermit transverse er supplemental Wheels so that the car may be rolledlaterally. When replacing the car upon the track a similar amount oflabor is involved. Furthermore, in emergencies an ability to remove thevehicle very rapidly is highly It is an object of the present inventionto provide means whereby vehicles of this type may be readily andquickly lifted from the track or replaced thereon without the necessityfor excessive manual labor. It is also an object to provide means ofthis character which is rapid in its operation and simple in itsconstruction. Other and further objects' will appear as the descriptionproceeds.

Broadly my invention comprises vertically placed cylinders andvertically moving pistons located adjacent the four corners The pistonsare preferably provided with shoes adapted toengage the rails althoughthis is not essential as they may bear upon the ground; The pistons areoperated by compressed air transmitted from the air receivers carried bythe car.

I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention in theaccompanying drawings in which igure 1 is a side elevation of an aircompressor car fitted with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the car, the deck and upper machinery beingomitted;

ig. 3 is an end view of the car as shown in Fig. 2;'

Fig. 4 is a front view on an enlarged scale of one of the trackengagingshoes; and, FFig. 5 is a side view of the device of As shown in thefigures, the car comprises the frame 6 supported upon the axles 7 thelatter carrying wheels rolling upon the standard track in the usualmanner. shown in Fig. 1 a floor or deck is carried by the car frame, andon this deck is located the gasolene engine 8 directly connected to anair compressor. The compressed air is contained in the receiver or tank9 carried between the frame at one end. The car is provided with thetransverse supplemental wheels 10 which extend below the frame but whichclear the rails engaged by the main wheels.

According to my invention, the car is provided with the four cylinders11 located adjacent its four corners, these cylinders being connected tothe air receiver 9 by the pipe line 12. This pipe is provided with amain air valve 13 through which air. may be admitted to the pipe line.Each cylinder is also provided with a supplemental valve 14 by means ofwhich it maybe cut off if it is not desired to operate all cylinderssimultaneously. The pistons extend downwardly from the cylinders,.theirlower ends carrythe rail head 15 as best shown in Fig. 3. These shoesare shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5.

In the normal use of my invention air is admitted to all of thecylinders and the car is thus lifted from the track at all four corners.Transverse rails are then placed across the main rails and under thesupplemental wheels 10: The air is then released from the cylindersallowing the car to settle down and be carried on the transverse rails.It is then sufiiciently high so that the main wheels will clear thetrack and it may be pushed transversely away from the track. When it hasentirely passed from themain track and has reached a suitable point,blocking is placed under the four pistons and air is admitted to thecylinders thus lifting the car from the transverse rails which may thenbe removed thus clearing the main railway track. Any suitable blockin orrails may be placed under the main w eelsand the air released from thecylinders permittin" the car to rest on the blocking or rails while thecar is used at that point I have found in the practical use of thisdevice that when the pistons are up the shoes 16 should clear the railsapproximately three inches. I preferably provide a cylinder having astroke of about ten inches, and thus when air is the cylinders theentire vehicle --is raised about seven inches. This affords ample spacebetween the main rails and the transverse wheels 10 so that transverserails may be readily slipped into place. With my device heavy and fullyloaded work vehicles may be readily and quickly removed from place uponthe. main line track with a minimum loss of time and without thenecessity for any large amount of manual labor.

\Vhile I have described more or less precisely the details ofconstruction of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limitingmyself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form and the proportion ofparts and substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest orrender expedient, without departing from the spirit of my invention;

I claim:

1. In combination with run upon rails, main wheels running on the rails,and supplemental wheels, a source of compressed air carried by the car,leadm from said source to a plurality of air cy inders carried by thecar and having pistons with portions adapted to lift the car vertically,said pistons being independent of said main and supplemental wheels.

2. In combinatlon with a car normally supported by wheels adapted to runupon ralls, a source of the car, air lines leading from said source to aplurality of air cylinders carried by the car and having pistons withportions independent of the car wheels adapted to coact with said railsto lift the car vertically therefrom. a

3. In combination with a car adapted to run upon rails, a source ofcompressed air carried by the car, air lines leading from said source toa plurality of air cylinders carried by the car and having pistons withportions adapted to coact with the rails to lift the car verticallytherefrom, the car being provided with main wheels and with supplementalwheels adapted to run upon supplemental rails transverse of the railscoacting with the main wheels, the lifting pistons serving to lift themain wheels from the rails and .to permit insertion of the supplementalrails under the auxiliary wheels.

Signed at Hibbing, Minnesota, this 3rd day of November, 1920. 7

WILLIAM N. ROWE.

a car adapted to air lines compressed air carried by

